8. Red Sox (7): It's no wonder Jonathan Papelbon is coming across as paranoid. He loves it in Boston but has two potential replacements behind him in Daniel Bard and now Billy Wagner.

9. Rangers (8): Ian Kinsler needs one more homer to become the 13th Ranger to have a 30-homer season since the move to The Ballpark in Arlington in 1994. Nelson Cruz joined the club last week.

10. Rays (8): Jeff Niemann is becoming Rookie of the Year front-runner.

11. Tigers (12): Not that anyone should forget Rick Porcello.

12. Giants (10): Buster Posey might have been promoted to light a fire under Bengie Molina. Bruce Bochy doesn't plan to catch Posey much down the stretch, assuming Molina can play through the pain from a quad injury. Still, it's hard to see Molina getting the contract extension he hopes for with Posey available to step in as a regular behind the plate.

13. Mariners (14): David Aardsma is the ninth pitcher to turn in a 30-save season after starting that season with zero career saves.

14. Marlins (15): Outfielder Chris Coghlan joined Wally Moon (52), Sonny Jackson (45) and Todd Helton (45) as the only NL rookies with 45-plus hits in a month. Coghlan finished August with 47.

15. Braves (11): Tim Hudson won his first start in more than 13 months. The Braves have a $12 million option on his contract for next season, and he plans to use September to build a case for their picking it up.

16. Twins (13): Joe Nathan's blown save Wednesday against the White Sox had the feel of a season-crusher.

17. White Sox (17): Daniel Hudson climbed to the big leagues in 15 months, going from Old Dominion to Great Falls (Mont.), Kannapolis (N.C.), Winston-Salem (N.C.), Birmingham and Charlotte before his big-league promotion. He was great in his big-league debut out of the bullpen Friday and, along with Carlos Torres, gives the Sox a homegrown option for the No. 5 spot in the rotation in 2010.

18. Cubs (16): When you are in fifth place in the wild-card standings you are not really in the playoff picture, no matter how hard you try to sell your possibilities.

19. Astros (18): The word is Cecil Cooper is dead manager walking. He lost his clubhouse a long time ago.

20. Padres (23): They have played their best ball of the season since the Jake Peavy trade, with Clayton Richard and Adam Russell contributing.

21. Mets (20): Bobby Valentine is looking to return to America for the 2010 season. There's no better spot for him than across town from the Yankees.

22. Indians (19): The biggest impostor in the majors this season is Chris Gimenez, a Cleveland utility man who has remained on the roster since May 31 despite hitting .158, including a nifty 2-for-39 in August. Eric Wedge loves versatile players. Gimenez may lose his sponsor after the season, however, as Wedge's days once again seem numbered.

24. Diamondbacks (24): Nobody is still sure what's wrong with Brandon Webb's shoulder. Arizona faces a tough decision on his $8.5 million contract option but is likely to bring him back.

25. Managers who overwork workhorses (NR): Jim Leyland continues to push Verlander extremely hard, taking no chances on a late-season slide. Verlander has made seven 120-pitch starts, including four in the last nine.

26. Reds (26): Dusty Baker's teams play hard. He and his staff deserve some credit for a stretch in which Cincinnati won 10 of 12 through Friday.

27. Blue Jays (22): The Red Sox must be kicking themselves for not getting a deal done for Roy Halladay.

28. Athletics (25): Dallas Braden continues to be bothered by issues with a nerve in his left foot, which could cause him to be shut down.

29. Royals (30): Jose Guillen lasted two at-bats as the DH after missing 36 games with a sprained knee.

30. Orioles (29): Be proud, Baltimore. Your team gives you bragging rights on outfield assists. It was the first AL team with 30.

32. Nationals (28): Stephen Strasburg wasn't happy when reporters showed up to cover his first workouts in Viera, Fla. That should put a little scare into the Nats' management. It can't afford for Strasburg to allow the lines of communication to get scrambled.